DISTRACTED DRIVING COULD HAVE ITS OWN ‘DESIGNATED’ CAMPAIGN

With summer nearly upon us, various media campaigns will be seen to curb distracted driving. This is the term that covers texting while driving, talking on cell phones while behind the wheel and even eating while driving. Distracted driving has become a national issue as the newest generations of smartphones allow people to stay in touch even while driving.

Even more troubling, studies indicate that texting while driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving. Essentially, the attention a smartphone takes from a driver’s focus is comparable to a person driving with a blood alcohol content of .10.

This is why it comes as no surprise that a “designated driver” campaign for distracted driving is in the works. According to UPI.com, the same person responsible for creating the giant media push in the 1980’s and 1990’s (Jay Winsten) will reportedly be working on a similar movement that targets texting while driving.

Back then, having a driver specially designated (and sober) to drive drunk friends home was a new, yet novel idea. Today, the term is so ingrained in our culture that it was even mentioned in a song. (Montell Williams’ “This Is How We Do It).

Winsten reported to the Harvard Gazette that he hopes to tap Hollywood’s creativity in making the distracted driving commercials just as catchy and influential as his past work.

Meanwhile, Missouri drivers (especially teenagers) must be conscious of the dangers of distracted driving and the civil liability that comes with causing an accident due to inattentiveness.